Decades ago, WRVO Public Media began broadcasting old-time radio with a small collection comprising 20 reel-to-reel tapes. Today the collection includes nearly 7,000 reels and over 20,000 broadcasts.
"Tuned to Yesterday" is public radio's premier old-time radio show, hosted by Mark Lavonier. The highest quality broadcasts are restored and played as they were heard years and years ago. You'll hear programs like "The Whistler," "The Jack Benny Show," "Fibber McGee and Molly," "Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy," and "Gunsmoke" – spanning all genres.
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Horror: Inner Sanctum “Till Death Do Us Part” 9/14/52 ABC, Arch Oboler’s Plays “The Voice Within Me” 7/29/39 NBC. -
Drama: CBS Radio Workshop “Son of Man” 4/21/57 CBS, Quiet, Please “The Third Man’s Story” 9/6/48 MBS. -
Mystery: Suspense “Dream Song” 11/6/47 CBS, Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons "The Case Of The Strange Display" 3/16/44 CBS. -
Comedy: Academy Award Theater “My Sister Eileen” 5/18/46 CBS, Fred Allen Show “Guest: Basil Rathbone” 4/24/49 NBC. -
New Years Eve: Sealtest Variety Theater 12/30/48 NBC, Thirty Minutes in Hollywood 1/2/38 MBS. -
New Years Eve: Mysterious Traveler “New Year’s Nightmare” 1/5/47 MBS, Quiet, Please “Rain on New Year's Eve” 12/31/47 MBS.
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Western: Fort Laramie “Still Waters” 10/14/56 CBS, Cisco Kid “The Black Kerchief” 3/5/48 Syndicated. -
Science Fiction: Hall of Fantasy “The Crawling Thing” 5/18/53 CBS, Dimension X “Hello, Tomorrow” 9/15/50 NBC. -
Crime: Crime Classics “Widow Magee and the Three Gypsies: A Vermont Fandango” 4/28/54 CBS, The Whisperer “Lieutenant in Danger” 7/29/51 NBC. -
Series: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar “The Lorco Diamonds Matter” Part 5 (final) 11/11/55 CBS, Adventures of Marco Polo “Episode #10” 1940 Syndicated, Firefighters “Episode #15” 12/2/49 Syndicated, Man in the Iron Mask “Episode #12” 1948 Syndicated.
About Tuned to Yesterday
Decades ago, WRVO began broadcasting old-time radio from a small collection of 20 reel-to-reel tapes. Today, "Tuned to Yesterday" is public radio's premier old-time radio show, featuring a collection of over 20,000 broadcasts. Listeners can enjoy classics from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, including "The Jack Benny Show," "The Whistler," "Gunsmoke," and more, spanning all genres from drama to comedy.
Meet the Host: Mark Lavonier
"Tuned to Yesterday" is hosted and produced by WRVO's Mark Lavonier. Mark is also the local host of "All Things Considered."
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When is "Tuned to Yesterday" on the air? A: "Tuned to Yesterday" airs nightly in two places:
- WRVO-1 Stream (10 p.m. - Midnight): This is the main nightly broadcast. You can hear it on your radio (main FM signal), on our website, or on our mobile app.
- WRVO-2 Stream (8 p.m. - 10 p.m.): This broadcast features a different episode from our archives. You can hear it on our website or mobile app.
Q: Who hosts "Tuned to Yesterday"? A: The show is hosted and produced by Mark Lavonier.
- Q: Where can I find the "Tuned to Yesterday" schedule? A: We post the complete monthly program schedule on our TTY Schedules page. You can find the full schedule here.